


The Shirt Off Your Back

by Arvanion



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, Gambling, I am a sinful writer, M/M, Strip Poker, it is possible that more characters will be dragged into this madness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 07:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6460642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arvanion/pseuds/Arvanion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rinkah had been warned about gambling with Charlotte, but she never backs down from a challenge.</p><p>Subaki never learned how to play cards, but admitting that to Niles would tarnish his perfect image.</p><p>Or, two novice gamblers go up against two professionals, and it goes about the way you'd expect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nohrian Pastimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte offers to teach the Hoshidans a card game. Niles makes no such offer, because Subaki pretends to know the rules already.

"Gambling with the Nohrians is a bad idea. They'll have the shirt off your back, if you're not careful."

That was the word that had been going around the Hoshidan side of the camp. Rinkah wasn't inclined to pay much attention to that, of course: from what she could tell, almost everyone she'd met outside the Flame Tribe had a tendency to be over-dramatic.

_Of course, that doesn't mean that I'll be gambling with the Nohrians... I have better things to do than waste my time doing that._

As she made her way toward the training ground, however, she caught sight of an oddly-matched group walking toward her. The diviner Orochi walked side-by-side with the Nohrian dark mage Nyx, her hands moving in animated conversation. Trailing slightly behind was Kagero, the set of her shoulders showing disappointment. And further back, her hips swaying in an exaggerated fashion, was Charlotte.

Orochi was the first to see Rinkah and call out a greeting. "Hey, Rinkah! Off to do some late-night training?"

Rinkah merely nodded in reply, making to walk straight past them, but Kagero held up a hand, shaking her head.

"I'm afraid that the training ground is occupied for the time being."

"What do you mean?"

Nyx's voice was tart as she spoke up. "Lord Xander and Lord Ryoma have decided that tonight is the perfect time to spar with each other. And given the lack of restraint those two boys have shown in the past... well, the training ground probably isn't safe for mere commoners to use."

Rinkah noticed Kagero grimace slightly at the tiny mage calling her liege a "boy," but before she could voice that she was interrupted by Charlotte stepping forward. The blonde woman winked at Rinkah.

"Seeing as we won't be able to do much training for the foreseeable future, I figured that I could introduce our friends here to a few of our Nohrian pastimes."

Rinkah folded her arms. "Like what?"

Charlotte produced a deck of cards from down the front of her shirt, prompting a blush from Rinkah and an amused chuckle from Orochi. "Games of chance and skill. You could join us, if you like."

"I'll just find somewhere else to train," said Rinkah, stepping to the side and beginning to walk away. "Don't waste my time."

Charlotte's giggle stopped her in her tracks. "Wow, I didn't think that a Flame Tribe warrior would be scared to play cards with little old me!"

Rinkah whirled. "What did you say?"

"I said you're scared to play cards with me." Charlotte's fingers played across the surface of the cards, slapping them together as she shuffled them. "Are you going to deny it??"

"I'm not afraid of anything," said Rinkah.

The Nohrian woman's eyes took on a predatory gleam. "Then prove it. Come and play with us."

"...ugh,  _FINE!_ " Rinkah threw up her hands in disgust. "I'll play your stupid game."

Charlotte's face went from taunting to delighted in the blink of an eye. "Oh, hooray, I'm so glad that you changed your mind. Come on, there's enough room in my tent for all of us to fit."

As she fell in with the group, Rinkah thought she heard Nyx muttering to herself. It sounded an awful lot like "hook, line, and sinker."

\- - -

"Ah, curses! Why must life always favor the unjust?"

"How _just_ I am has very little effect on how well I do in the game. Come on now, pay up."

Subaki followed the sound of voices to one of the cookfires, where Niles and Arthur were seated. An array of cards and coins was spread out between them. From the look of things, Leo's retainer was leaps and bounds ahead of the boisterous fighter: his neatly stacked piles of silver were a harsh contrast to the few measly bronze coins in front of Arthur.

As Subaki approached, Arthur was in the process of handing over even those, sighing with regret. "Alas, that I should fall victim to this most capricious bad luck..."

"Luck has very little to do with it. It's skill that's most important." Niles looked up, smirking, as Subaki approached. "Isn't that right, Mr. Perfect?"

The sky night smirked. "Practice makes perfect, after all."

"Indeed, indeed." Niles began sliding the money into his purse, giving Arthur a look of mock regret. "Better luck next time."

"Mark my words, I shall return!" Arthur pounded his chest with one fist. "Justice always triumphs in the end!" He frowned. "Just... not at the moment."

As Arthur mournfully headed off, Niles closed his single eye in what might have been a wink. "I'm surprised he keeps coming back, with his luck. It's true that luck has very little to do with it, but with the cards he's dealt, a child could do better."

Subaki raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Sure. Every child in Nohr knows how to play this game. It's laughably simple." Niles gave Subaki a sidelong glance. "You play too, right?"

"Of... course!" said Subaki, covering his hesitation with a laugh. "As you said, simple."

"Ah good, I've been hoping to find an opponent who isn't quite so... laughable." The white-haired Nohrian bobbed his head to indicate the retreating Arthur. "If you have some time, you and I could go a few rounds." He grinned as an errant breeze ruffled his hair. "Probably somewhere other than here, though. It's starting to cool down."

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"Here, we'll play in my tent. It's not far." Without waiting for an answer, Niles set off, motioning for Subaki to join him.

The red-haired knight followed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.  _I'm beginning to have misgivings about this..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is going nowhere wholesome, fast


	2. All or Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rinkah has no poker face and too much competitive spirit for her own good.

"So, explain to me how this game works." Rinkah, arms crossed and legs folded, sat back on the stool and studied the cards with a dubious look. "I know nothing about it."

Charlotte's fingers cut the deck deftly, shuffling the cards with quick and delicate movements.  _I had thought she was all about brute force, but her hands are surprisingly delicate..._

"All  _I_ know about the game," Orochi supplied, "is that it is apparently an excellent way to lose money." Kagero cracked a wry grin at that.

"We'll play a few practice rounds to get the hang of it before we start making real bets," Charlotte reassured her. She began dealing out the cards facedown, two to each player, before laying three face-up on the table. "So, the idea here is to make the best possible hand from the cards in your hand and the cards on the table. There are quite a few different ways to score..."

\- - -

As the night went on, quite a bit of money changed hands. Kagero turned out to be a surprisingly good player: her face was utterly inscrutable, whether she was winning or losing, so it was almost impossible to call when she was bluffing. Orochi bore her losses with philosophical good humor, while Nyx held steady in the middle.

Charlotte and Rinkah were the two outliers. The Flame Tribe woman wasn't accustomed to hiding her facial expressions, and it cost her more than once. Charlotte, on the other hand, was a true mistress of the game, and Rinkah was too slow in learning that her reactions were not to be trusted. She'd felt triumphant when she revealed a pair of threes from her hand to complement the pair of sevens already on the board, only for the blonde woman to reveal a third seven and collect the bets with a giggle.

_And now she's smirking at me. And hiding it behind her STUPID. TINY. HANDS._

Kagero was the first one to break off from the game, gathering her winnings with a small, satisfied smile. "That was more productive than I expected it would be. But I should retire for the night."

Orochi yawned and stretched. "Me, too. Kagero, would you be a dear and walk me back to my tent?"

"Of course," said the dark-haired ninja with a nod.

"I should probably turn in as well," said Nyx, pushing back her chair.

"Hold on, are you all leaving?" Rinkah frowned. "I wasn't done playing..."

"Well, all games need to end eventually," said Charlotte.

"Besides, you don't seem to be having much success," said Nyx, raising an eyebrow towards Rinkah's meager pile of coins.

"Hmph. You can't just expect me to play the game for the first time and immediately do well--"

"I did," said Kagero, completely deadpan. Rinkah blushed.

"What I mean to say is, the Flame Tribe is not accustomed to trafficking with the outside world." Rinkah ignored Orochi's giggle and pressed on. "So it takes just a bit longer for me to adapt to situations than the rest of you."

Charlotte shrugged. "I suppose if you're determined to keep playing, it's possible to go on with just two players..."

Rinkah nodded decisively. "Now that I'm more accustomed to the game, I'll show  _you_."

"Good luck with that!" Orochi caroled as she and the others stepped out into the darkening night.

\- - -

Five rounds later, Charlotte giggled as Rinkah pushed the last of her money into the center of the table. "You sure showed me."

"Shut up," Rinkah growled. She threw her cards down into the middle of the table. "Deal again."

Charlotte shrugged. "You're out of money, darling." She began to rake her winnings off the table, into her purse.

There was a soft thud as one of Rinkah's gloves landed on the table.

Charlotte blinked. "Are you challenging me to a duel?"

"What?"

"Throwing down the gauntlet..."

"...no. I'm betting that."

Charlotte's expression registered confusion for a few moments longer before sliding back into a grin. "Ah, I see. I suppose that's an acceptable stake." She placed a few coins opposite it. "Let's see if it pays off."

\- - -

It didn't pay off.

Neither did the other glove, nor Rinkah's armbands, nor her boots, nor her necklace, nor her headdress. Each time she lost, Charlotte would sigh in mock sympathy as she collected the clothing, adding it to a growing pile on the floor beside her. And each time, Rinkah would remove the next piece and, through gritted teeth, demand another round.

"Do you really think your luck is going to turn around?" said Charlotte.

Rinkah, currently undoing the drawstring of her breeches, scowled. "There's only so much bad luck one person can have."

"That's debatable." Charlotte leaned forward, her body posed in such a way that Rinkah couldn't help but stare down the front of her shirt, and whistled approvingly. "Mmm. Nice legs, Flame Girl."

Rinkah's fiery blush practically lit up the room. "J-just deal the cards," she muttered.

She lost. Again.

The blonde Nohrian gave a sigh of mock regret as she gathered up Rinkah's breeches and neatly folded them. "I guess that's the end of our evening's little amusements. Still, you should be able to sneak back to your tent as long as--"

"Wait." Rinkah set her jaw and, under Charlotte's surprised gaze, began to unwrap the cloth around her chest. She felt the cold air tease at her breasts as they fell free of their bindings, which she tossed up onto the table. "There."

Charlotte's eyes played across Rinkah's naked torso, and she licked her lips with a slow smile. "My, my," she said with a breathy giggle. "Are you trying to distract me? It just might work."

It didn't work.

Rinkah shut her eyes and gave a long huff of irritation, her hands going to the waistband of her loincloth. She rose only just enough to slip it off, keeping her lower half obscured by the table, before she settled back onto the stool.

Charlotte, cheeks flushed pink and breathing somewhat uneven, grinned broadly as she dealt the last hand. "Looks like you're just about done." Her eyes continued to roam Rinkah's body: sun-browned skin taut over rippling muscles. She gave a low, throaty laugh. "So, Rinkah, what'll it be?"

Without looking at her cards, Rinkah set her last piece of clothing on the table and folded her arms. "All or nothing, Charlotte."

The Nohrian soldier cocked her head to the side. "All or... nothing?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

Charlotte paused for a moment before letting out an inelegant snort. "You've got to be kidding! Me going all-in on... what, one little scrap of cloth from you?"

A slight smirk came to Rinkah's face. "What's the matter? Scared you'll lose?" She leaned forward challengingly.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed, though they quickly returned to appreciating the display of the other woman's muscles. "Why, you..." She tossed her head. "All right, fine, Flame Girl, we'll do it your way. And I hope you're not shy, because after this round I'm going to find a nice audience to watch you walk home."

"Fine by me."

Charlotte flipped the cards over one by one, not even bothering to hide a growing smirk as each successive card was revealed: the ten, jack, and queen of spades. The other two cards didn't matter: after all, the eight and nine of spades were in her hand. She tossed them down, grinning broadly across the table. "Well, Rinkah, it's been fun, but I suppose it's time for you to go now. Enjoy your walk back, do try not to catch a cold--"

_Wait, hold on, why is she grinning like a demented loon?_

The Flame Tribe warrior slammed her hand down on the table, revealing her own cards: the king and the ace of spades. Charlotte's eyes widened. "N-no way..." she stammered.  _What are the chances of that?_ Seriously!  _What are the chances?!_

"Looks like my luck  _finally_ turned around," said Rinkah, smoothing back her hair. "Just in time, too."

"Y-you... you..." Charlotte spluttered, too flabbergasted to get any words out. Rinkah bared her teeth in a smile.

"What's the matter, Charlotte? Cat got your tongue?"

Charlotte's mouth opened and closed a few more times. At last, she began to laugh: ringing peals of laughter far stronger than her usual breathy giggle. "Gods! Unbelievable... I can't believe I let myself get so careless."

"Well, you did say that I was distracting you." Rinkah chuckled, but she made no move to collect her winnings, or even to cover herself. Instead, she merely grinned at Charlotte, face growing steadily redder. "So..."

"Oh, right." Charlotte pushed her chair back. "I'll admit it. You win, fair and square." A slow smile came to the blonde woman's face. "I guess it's time for me to pay up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find out what Charlotte means in the thrilling third chapter, "Pay Up"
> 
> (I had to look up the rules of poker because I hadn't played in years and forgot almost everything)
> 
> (don't worry I haven't forgotten about Niles and Subaki they are also playing a game and it will come later)


	3. Play to Win

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaki visits Niles to hand over some of his worries, among a few other things.

Niles' tent was much tidier than Subaki thought it would be: neatly laid-out rugs, a sturdy little table and chairs, and a chest with folded clothes carefully placed atop it. Even his bedroll was mostly rolled up, with only a few wrinkles. Subaki idly stepped forward to straighten them. "Not bad."

"I'm glad Mr. Perfect approves." Niles chuckled. "This is actually pretty unusual for me."

"Really now?" Subaki said. "So what's the occasion?"

"I was hoping to have the pleasure of your company tonight, and I knew you'd be completely insufferable if anything was out of place."

The Hoshidan knight laughed. "Ah, I see."

"You could hardly unload your worries to me if you were trying to clean my tent like a madman."

"Fair enough."

"Now please, take a seat." Niles gestured over towards the table, smiling. "As you are my guest, I must be sure to treat you with the utmost courtesy."

Subaki laughed again. "I think I would be rather perturbed if you started doing that."

"After all, it's you, not me, who's the perfect gentleman," said Niles. He bent down next to the chest, producing a bottle and a pair of cups from a small box beside it. "I hope you're amenable to a drink?"

The red-haired man raised his eyebrows at the bottle. "Is that  _sake_ , Niles? I didn't know that you were partial to it."

"To tell the truth, I haven't tried it before," said Niles, placing a delicate stress on the word  _truth_. "But I'm told that it's a fine beverage to share with friends."

"It is, at that." Subaki nodded in thanks as Niles poured  _sake_ into one of the small cups and set it down in front of him. "You know, a year ago I never would have expected to be sharing a drink with a Nohrian."

"And a month ago, you would never have expected that Nohrian to be me," said Niles, his eye closing for a moment.  _Is that a blink, or a wink? Damn it._

The white-haired outlaw raised his cup in a sort of salute. "Here's to our friendship."

"To our friendship!" And with that, both men threw back the small cups and emptied them in a single gulp.

\- - -

It was nearly an hour later, and Subaki's head was filled with a pleasantly buzzing warmth. There were two empty bottles on the table now, and a third one halfway gone. Subaki, cup held loosely in his hand, was midway through telling Niles about some of his latest problems.

"...and then Hana just decides to ignore me and run  _right in_ , and nearly gets her head smashed by a club! So I'm trying to help her, but I need to stay clear of the fellow with the club because one good blow will break my shaft--"

Niles snickered. Subaki glared and continued.

"--and without a spear I can't really do my job. So we're finally about to take the ruffian down, when an  _archer_ shows up, so I ask Hana to take care of him... and she  _misses_." He clacked his cup down on the table with a disgusted noise. Niles took the opportunity to fill it again. "Fortunately, the bowman wasn't a good shot, or I'd probably not be sitting here. But  _still_." Subaki downed his drink and huffed in disgust. "And then, because Hana ended up getting hurt when she charged in like an idiot, Lady Sakura ended up fussing over her for  _hours_."

"That sounds awful," said Niles, his tone not particularly sympathetic. Subaki rolled his eyes.

"Come on, I'm unloading my troubles on you, just like you told me to. Is that a problem all of a sudden?"

"Oh, not at all," said Niles, his eye closing again.

"...are you winking, or blinking?" said Subaki aloud.

Niles winked (blinked?) again, chuckling. "What do you think, Mr. Perfect?"

"I think that you're trying to annoy me," said Subaki. He pointed at Niles' face, one finger moving in a circle. "It's the... thing."

"Despite your many talents," observed Niles wryly, "holding your liquor is not one of them."

Subaki's eyes narrowed. "The thing covering your eye."

"Nor is finding the right words to use, apparently..."

"Eyepatch." The pegasus knight made another disgusted sound. "Lay on, I'm not familiar with the way you Nohrians talk."

"I believe that the expression you're looking for is 'lay  _off_.' Though I'm sure the other can be arranged." His single eye closed lazily once again.

"Ugh, that's it!" said Subaki. "I am going to see what's under that patch! Take it off!"

Niles held up his hands, grinning. "Easy there, Subaki. I'm not about to go showing off my face for no reason. But..." His hand went into his doublet, pulling out his cards, and he ran a thumb along the deck's edge. "Supposing that you could beat me in that game we were planning on having, I suppose that I could oblige you."

"Fine," said Subaki snappishly. "Deal the cards and we'll play."

"All right, but we'll set the rules first." Niles tapped the eyepatch. "Since you want me to take this off, I think it's only fair that there's some reciprocity involved. So, for every round that you lose, you'll have to take something off, too."

"Yes, fine,  _fine_ , let's play the game." The red-haired man, his face flushed to a shade only marginally paler than his hair by the drinks he'd had, waved a hand impatiently. "Come on, let's go."

Niles shrugged. "If you insist..."

\- - -

The buzz of the liquor had faded somewhere around the tenth hand, and Subaki began to wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake. By the time they reached the end of the game, his head had cleared and he  _knew_ that he had.

"You... you... you..."

"Yes?"

"You  _cheated_!"

Niles threw back his head and laughed. "How do you know?"

"Because I lost!"

"You lost because you had no idea how to play the game."

"Well, I, uh..."

"Oh, come on, Subaki, you didn't think I wouldn't notice, did you?" Niles chuckled as his eye roved across Subaki's bare chest, and he licked his lips. "I mean, granted, you did a pretty good job of acting like you knew what we were doing, but as soon as you started trying to actually  _play_ it was obvious that you were out of your depth."

Subaki flushed and crossed his arms belligerently. "But you still cheated!"

"Because you lied to me about knowing how to play." Niles smirked. "I had my suspicions after the first round, so during the second round I cheated obviously enough for any Nohrian child to notice. And yet somehow, you missed that completely."

Subaki distantly noted that he should probably be more embarrassed than annoyed, but for some reason the fact that he was completely naked didn't seem to matter much, next to the knowledge that he had been betrayed. "That's not fair!"

"Of course it isn't fair. I never said that I play fair." Niles closed his eye again, deliberately. "I play to win."

The pegasus warrior got to his feet, smoothing back his hair in irritation--its tie had been one of the first things to go, and now it was hanging in his eyes. "Well, I guess you cheat to win, too." He began moving towards the door of the tent, but stopped when Niles caught his arm. "What?"

"Come on, Mr. Perfect, you can't expect me to just let you leave like that," said Niles, his glance pointedly going to the other man's exceptionally formed rear end. "You came here to relax, right? So if you leave in a huff, that probably means that I've failed you."

Subaki hadn't considered that. "Uh, well. I guess that makes sense."

Niles' grip on his arm turned into a light pull, and Subaki felt himself being steered in the direction of the Nohrian's cot. "So I thought that I'd try a different tactic. If losing frustrates you, then maybe we should try something other than games." This time, he gave Subaki a very frank, direct look. The meaning behind it was unmistakable.

The Hoshidan found himself tripping over his words. "Oh... you mean  _that_." He sat down heavily on the cot, letting out a long breath. "I, um, suppose that's certainly an option..."

"You don't sound particularly enthusiastic," said Niles doubtfully.

Subaki let out a long breath. "It's not that, it's just... I hadn't really thought about it."

"You hadn't thought about it?" Niles' tone was rather puzzled.

"What, you  _have_?"

"Of course I have. Handsome fellow like yourself, actually willing to talk to the likes of me, practically perfect in every way..." Niles shrugged. "I mean, I never really considered whether or not we'd work out. You're probably too good for me. But all the same, I like the thought of the two of us."

Subaki blinked a few times. "So..."

"So I'm suggesting that I find an alternative way of helping you relax." Niles' eye closed once more.  _No doubt about it... that one was DEFINITELY a wink._ "So, what do you say?"

The red-haired knight considered the proposition, as Niles waited in patient silence.  _He seems sincere enough... and, despite everything that I would have expected, he's been a good friend. If he wants something more..._ Subaki noted his body's response to that thought.  _There are certainly worse ways to pass the time than with a charming fellow like him. And, well, it's not as if I can get any more naked than I am now._

He looked up into Niles' patient gaze and slowly smiled. "Would  _this_ be an appropriate time to say 'lay on'?"

Chuckling, Niles pulled his own shirt over his head and carelessly tossed it aside. "I thought you'd never ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said that Charlotte would be taking off her clothes in this chapter but I _lied_ (that will come later) so you must be content with naked Subaki for now
> 
> leave a comment below to lull me into a false sense of security about my writing chops


	4. Pay Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a bit of banter, Charlotte holds up her end of the bargain.

Charlotte tilted her head to one side, tapping her chin with one finger. "You know, Rinkah, I've never told you this before, but you have beautiful eyes."

"Huh?"

A slow smile spread across the blonde woman's face. "You have beautiful eyes." She enunciated each word with perfect clarity, punctuating the end of the sentence with a wink. "So passionate, whether they're in the heat of battle or... something else." The Nohrian woman's own eyes flicked down to Rinkah's bare breasts before returning to eye contact.

"Are you trying to make a point, or just stalling?" said Rinkah, raising her eyebrows.

The blonde woman laughed softly, the sound of it sending an appreciative shiver through Rinkah's body. "You'll want to keep your eyes open for this."

Charlotte hands reached up to the back of her metal collar, undoing the buckles with quick, efficient motions. Her pauldrons and bracers followed, dropping to the floor with soft clanking noises as she carelessly discarded them. All the while, she watched Rinkah's hungry eyes with a half-lidded gaze, smiling as she saw one of the Flame Tribe woman's hands stray beneath the table.  _Enjoying this, is she? And I haven't even gotten to the good part yet..._

Her boots were the next to go, taken off in a manner that displayed her legs to their best effect. She made sure to give Rinkah a good view of her well-muscled calves and thighs as she set the boots aside.

Now she was down to nothing but her midriff-bearing shirt and the rather insignificant fabric that passed for breeches. Charlotte trailed her fingers up her bare stomach to grasp the hem of her shirt, crossing her arms to pull it over her head with a languorous motion and baring her breasts fully. Rinkah's cheeks flushed darker, and the steady movement of her hand under the table quickened.

Charlotte turned about, giving Rinkah an eyeful of her shapely bottom as she slipped out of her lower clothing and cast it aside. Left wearing nothing but the white bow in her hair, Charlotte faced Rinkah fully once again, trailing her hands up her sides to cup her own breasts, presenting herself for Rinkah's consideration. "Do you like what you see?"

"You're not half-bad," said Rinkah, a faint note of strain in her voice.

Charlotte chuckled, shifting to put her weight on one foot and resting a hand on her hip. "Really, now? That's the best compliment you can give?"

"What, you think I should say something nicer?"

Charlotte's voice became rather tart, and she abandoned her sensual manner to fold her arms crossly. "A woman with the body of a  _goddess_ has bared herself for you, and all you can think of to say is  _not half-bad_?"

"Well, it's not like  _you_  said anything nice about my body," said Rinkah, irritation coming to her own voice.

"Didn't I?"

"You didn't. All you did was gloat about how you were going to win."

"Oh... I suppose that I did, didn't I?" Charlotte posed coyly, letting out a breathy giggle. "Can you possibly forgive me?"

"Depends on whether or not you have anything nice to say." Rinkah cleared her throat noisily. "I'm waiting."

"Mmm... then perhaps I should  _show_ my appreciation rather than merely telling it." Hips swaying, Charlotte moved forward, one hand pulling her bow free so that her hair fell about her shoulders like a golden waterfall. She stopped in front of Rinkah, leaning on the table, and winked. "Why don't you make some room for me?"

Wordlessly, Rinkah pushed back her stool. Charlotte took the opportunity to insinuate herself into Rinkah's lap, straddling the other woman so that her breasts were almost against Rinkah's face. She began to slowly roll her hips, steadily pressing herself against Rinkah. The Flame Tribe woman's skin seemed fever-hot: probably a normal occurrence for her, but something excitingly new for Charlotte.

Charlotte's hands glided up Rinkah's back, feeling the raised marks of old battle-scars as she explored the other woman's skin. "I can feel how strong you are, even just sitting here," she murmured into Rinkah's ear. "You have to have trained like hell, to get muscles like these. Oh, the things they could do to me..."

"Yeah? Like what?" Rinkah's voice, muffled by Charlotte's chest, had an eager note to it.

"You could throw me off of this chair and pin me to the ground, right here and right now," said Charlotte, her teeth closing around Rinkah's earlobe for just a moment before letting go. "I wouldn't try to stop you. You could have your way with me, however you wanted. Would you like that?"

A low moan was Charlotte's only answer. She bit at Rinkah's earlobe once again. "I'd like that. And it'd be the perfect way for you to show you've won. To the victor..." She punctuated her words with another hard roll of her hips, grinding herself up against Rinkah, and finished with a whispered, "go the spoils."

A sudden tensing of Rinkah's muscles was the only warning Charlotte had before the Flame Tribe woman surged to her feet, making Charlotte fall on her rear with a thoroughly ungraceful yelp. Before she could move any further Rinkah was astride her, a warm weight pinning her to the floor, bare skin on skin. Charlotte felt Rinkah seize her wrists in an iron grip, bringing them up above her head, and then felt the near-searing warmth of Rinkah's lips pressed against the side of her neck, trailing kisses from her jawline to between her breasts.

Rinkah straightened up, her eyes meeting Charlotte's--her gaze full of hungry passion, but also questioning. "Is this how you want it, then?"

Charlotte arched her back to press herself further against Rinkah, her voice thick with arousal. "Oh  _gods_ , yes."

Rinkah's teeth flashed in a smile as white as her hair. "All right, we'll do it your way."

Her lips met Charlotte's, and both women surrendered themselves to pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so technically Charlotte lost but in the end everyone wins
> 
> in other news, writing is _hard_


	5. Mornings After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night in the Nohrian camp, the time comes for the Hoshidans to head back.

Subaki was awakened by a ray of sunlight falling precisely across his eyes. He grimaced, shifting slightly to find the source of the offending illumination. _Looks like there's a bit of a rip in the tent. I'll have to have a word with Niles about that, later..._

He glanced down to his side, seeing the Nohrian man still lying motionless. Asleep, Niles looked strangely vulnerable: his fine white hair lying across his face, covering it in lieu of his discarded eyepatch.

Subaki smiled, recalling how his hands had traced Niles' skin the previous night, feeling out scars that were normally kept hidden. Niles had been bold enough with his own hands, but their first kisses had been oddly soft—gentle, almost restrained. Only when Subaki had taken the lead had they moved on to... further matters.

The memory of those _further matters_ made Subaki's cheeks pleasantly warm. Still, from the position of the sun, he would be needed back at the camp soon. He rose, trying not to stir Niles, and began to dress.

He had tied back his hair and pulled on his breeches when he heard a yawn from behind him. Glancing back, he saw Niles stretching, the sheets falling about his hips to bare him to the waist. The Nohrian thief grinned wryly as he noted Subaki's scrutiny. “Good morning, Mr. Perfect.”

“Good morning.”

Niles finger-combed his hair out of his face with one hand, the other fishing for his discarded eyepatch. “You know, not many people have seen me like this.”

“What, naked?” blurted Subaki without thinking. Niles chuckled.

“Mm, no. _Plenty_ of people have seen me naked.” He produced the eyepatch. “But I don't often get rid of this.”

Subaki pulled his shirt on over his head. As he began to lace it, he frowned slightly. “Why did you?”

“Why did I...?”

“You know, take off the eyepatch.” Subaki smiled wryly. “You could have administered perfectly adequate, erm, _stress relief_ either way.”

“But you asked so charmingly,” said Niles. “I couldn't say no to such a request.”

Subaki considered that for a moment. After a short silence, he simply said, “Thank you.”

“You are very welcome.” He eyed Subaki, now fully dressed, with a somewhat disappointed expression. “Leaving so soon?”

“I must attend Lady Sakura. Hana will be impatient if she needs to see to everything herself.” Halfway out the tent door, he turned back. “Would you...?”

“Of course.” Niles grinned, smoothing the strap of his eyepatch as he settled it back into place. “Feel free to call on me for such diversions any time. My tent is always open to you.” He blew a kiss, with another “wink.”

Blushing, Subaki “caught” it, and headed back home.

\- - -

Rinkah opened her eyes on an unfamiliar and rather disorderly scene. The tent she was in had darker fabric than the Hoshidan standard, and scattered about the floor were an upturned table, a tipped stool, most of a deck of cards, and various articles of clothing.

Her memory jogged just as the arms wrapped around her waist stirred. _This is Charlotte's tent._

She lay on her back in Charlotte's sagging cot, her right arm outflung. Charlotte lay atop it: on her side, facing toward Rinkah, their faces almost touching. Her arms were wrapped around Rinkah's waist, hands resting near the Flame Tribe woman's hip. Her right leg, knee bent, was laid across Rinkah's legs in an intimately possessive manner.

They were both still naked, she observed idly as her eyes moved up Charlotte's smooth flank. She could look all she liked: the tangled sheets had fallen from the cot during their rather enthusiastic lovemaking. By the time they'd both been sated, they couldn't be bothered with straightening up.

“Mmmm... Rinkah, darling, you're so warm,” Charlotte muttered, her voice still rather slurred as she fought her way free of sleep. Her grip around Rinkah's waist tightened slightly, pressing more of their bare skin together.

“You said that last night, too,” Rinkah responded gruffly.

Charlotte's lips brushed a sleepy kiss across Rinkah's shoulder. “Because it's _true_. If I had you here during winter, I'd never have to worry about being cold.”

“Blankets might also help.”

“I mean, they might keep you warm, but they can't do...” Charlotte licked her lips, her cheeks pink. “ _Anything else_ , really. You, on the other hand...”

Rinkah eyed the fallen table, recalling Charlotte's bucking and moans of pleasure as the two had wrestled their way across the floor, and felt a blush of her own rising. “A fair point.” She prized Charlotte's hands loose from her waist, sitting up with crossed arms. “Still, what happened last night was...” She sighed. “A bit out of the ordinary for me.”

Charlotte's eyes narrowed. “What is _that_ supposed to mean?”

Rinkah, taking warning from the expression, took much more care with her next words. “What I mean is... that is to say, I'm not normally so... _assertive_.”

“...oh.” Charlotte sounded slightly put out.

“That's not to say that last night wasn't wonderful!” Rinkah continued hurriedly. She took Charlotte's shoulders in her hands, hoping the gesture was reassuring. “Just that I may have been acting a bit differently than normal.”

Charlotte considered that for a moment, then bobbed up to lock her lips against Rinkah's. There was enough passion in the kiss to make Rinkah vividly aware that they were both in nothing but their skins. She was almost tempted to pin Charlotte down again for a repeat performance of the previous night.

 _Almost_.

When they separated, breath slightly quickened, Charlotte gave Rinkah a level look. “It was your competitive spirit that drew me to you, Rinkah. The whole reason that you kept playing even after everyone else had bowed out—and your strength and willingness to take the lead.” She winked. “If I must find more exciting challenges for you in order to see that passion again, I'll gladly rise to the occasion.”

“Um, right,” said Rinkah. She got to her feet. “I should get dressed.”

It took her some time to gather her scattered clothing and get back into it. Charlotte watched appreciatively the whole time—still lying on the cot, head propped up on one arm, making no move to dress herself. When Rinkah had resumed her usual full outfit, she rose to see her off.

“Have a pleasant walk back, dear Rinkah,” she said, kissing the other woman on the cheek. “Admittedly, it won't be quite as interesting as it might have been last night, but I consider myself quite fortunate that I got to keep that particular sight for myself.”

Rinkah snorted at that. “Typical of you.”

“Will you be back?” Charlotte called as Rinkah lifted the flap of the tent to go.

Rinkah, smiling wryly, looked back. “Maybe.”

\- - -

“You seem to have had an interesting night.”

Kagero's voice came from directly beside Rinkah's ear, making her jump and glare. “Gods! A little warning might be nice next time!”

The ninja smiled. “It is not my way to be conspicuous, but I suppose I could put in an effort.”

Rinkah sighed. “What do you mean by _interesting_ , exactly?”

“You spent the night with Charlotte,” said Kagero. There was nothing at all questioning about her tone, and the way she said _spent the night_ made her meaning quite clear.

“I... I...” Rinkah stammered. “ _How did you know_?”

Kagero smirked faintly. “I suppose that you wouldn't be able to see them yourself, but there are fingernail marks all over your back—and whose else would they be.”

“ _Fingernails—_ ” Rinkah gulped. Now that she thought of it, she did remember the Nohrian woman scratching her as she pinned her to the ground. She blushed. “How bad are they?”

Ryoma's retainer looked as if she was fighting off laughter. “You may want to find a jacket to wear until they've faded a bit.”

Rinkah digested that information with a rather glum expression. “A jacket...”

“If it isn't considered too prying to ask,” said Kagero, “how exactly did you find yourself in such a situation?”

“It was the card game,” Rinkah sighed. “I didn't want to lose, so I kept betting until I'd bet all of my clothes away.”

“Ah,” said Kagero, nodding. Her next words jolted Rinkah with surprise. “A pity that we did not remain, then.”

“... _huh_?!”

There was a gleam in Kagero's eye that Rinkah would not have normally associated with the usually serious young woman. “Well, you saw how Orochi was playing. Doubtless she would have been next.”

Rinkah finally caught her meaning. “Oh.”

Kagero laughed. “I suppose that I have kept you long enough. You still need to find that jacket, after all. Though...” She looked thoughtfully mischievous. “If you happen to play a similar game in the future, do be sure to invite Orochi and I. We would _love_ to join you.”

“I'll, uh, keep that in mind.”

Rinkah managed to make it back to her tent without too much further embarrassment. As she used a mirror to examine the scratches on her back—Charlotte, she had to admit, was like a tigress—she also considered what Charlotte and Kagero had said that morning.

“ _More exciting challenges,” to keep my competitive spirit burning... inviting along a couple more..._

_I suppose the idea has merit._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I whipped this chapter up over the course of a surprisingly short amount of time; [spread the love for the announcement post](https://occasionallydiverting.tumblr.com/post/147079795436/the-shirt-off-your-back-chapter-5), it helps to shore up my fragile ego
> 
> ...anyhow, I'm marking this fic as done **for the time being** but it is quite possible that there will be a continuation of some kind (mostly on Rinkah's end, since Subaki and Niles have worked out their arrangements quite nicely)
> 
> stay tuned, and feel free to comment or send me a storm of asks [on tumblr](https://occasionallydiverting.tumblr.com/), I promise I'm friendly (even if I am over-dramatic at these odd evening hours)

**Author's Note:**

> I had amusing thoughts about international bonding and this fic is basically a shitpost about them
> 
> leave comments for me, I am a starving artist and I must eat them to **_survive_**


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